What is the role of the Employment Partnerships Collaborative Workgroup?
The primary goal of the Employment Partnerships Collaborative Workgroup is to identify barriers and facilitators to employment partnerships and to address the challenges with system collaboration. The workgroup is developing and sharing resources to raise awareness, highlight promising practices, and replicate successful local partnership activities.
What is the focus of the workgroup currently?
Based on work in the first year, the Workgroup members identified the Vocational Rehabilitation system as having a critical role in enhancing access to IPSE programs and paid employment for students with ID. This year’s goals will focus on the VR system. Specifically, there will be a focus on developing a plan to engage and support VR partnerships across the country through training, information, and resources that can lead to increased student engagement and employment.
Can I get involved in the workgroup?
If you are interested in becoming involved in the employment partnerships collaborative workgroup, please contact the workgroup facilitator, Jaclyn Camden, for more information. Specific related experience and time commitments may be required and workgroup membership is not guaranteed.
You may also be interested in the Employment Partnerships Affinity Group, which is an open access group for professionals who want to learn about successful systems-level employment partnership collaborations between institutions of higher education, Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, developmental disability agencies and employers who support students with ID.
What are other ways I can learn more about developing employment partnerships to support college students with ID?
We welcome those with an interest in developing or improving employment partnerships to join our Employment Partnerships Affinity Group, which meets online quarterly. The meetings consist of facilitated discussion on opportunities and barriers to employment partnerships for students with ID as well as guest speakers/experts from the field. Resources to raise awareness, highlight promising practice, and replicate successful partnership activities will be shared.